Museveni, Former Critic of Extended Rule, Seeks Re-Election After 40 Years in Power
When Museveni first assumed office in 1986, ending years of violent instability under previous regimes, he cautioned against leaders overstaying their welcome a problem he believed plagued much of Africa. Today, nearly 40 years later, he has become part of the trend he once criticized
By : Mweru Mbugua
Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power longer than most Ugandans have been alive, shows no signs of stepping down, aiming for a seventh term in Thursday’s election
When Museveni first assumed office in 1986, ending years of violent instability under previous regimes, he cautioned against leaders overstaying their welcome a problem he believed plagued much of Africa. Today, nearly 40 years later, he has become part of the trend he once criticized
Known for his folksy demeanor and storytelling, Museveni’s past as a skilled guerrilla fighter and politically ruthless survivor contrasts sharply with his calm public persona
Over his four-decade rule, he has consolidated power so completely that meaningful opposition to him or his National Resistance Movement (NRM) is nearly impossible
At 81 years old though some opponents claim he is older Museveni insists he remains fit to lead. Campaigning under the slogan “Protecting the Gains,” he often invokes rural imagery, comparing himself to a farmer leaving a plantation just as it starts to bear fruit
Educated in Dar es Salaam in the 1960s, Museveni was once seen as a revolutionary visionary. British journalist William Pike described him as serious yet humorous, with a confidence that inspired those around him
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Museveni’s early years in office were praised internationally for economic progress, poverty reduction, and efforts to combat HIV/AIDS
He has also positioned himself as a regional elder statesman, even as his forces have intervened in conflicts in eastern Congo and South Sudan
His military actions in Somalia and open refugee policies have earned donor support, despite sparking domestic corruption scandals
However, his approval of one of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws in 2023 drew global criticism
Raised by cattle herders, Museveni once vowed to retire and care for his Ankole cows. Instead, he has outlasted nearly every African leader except Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema and Cameroon’s Paul Biya, cementing his place among the continent’s longest-serving rulers
